Last checked at 31 Aug 2022 07:00
31 August 2022
KEFI Gold and Copper plc
("KEFI" or the "Company")
Africa Down Under Presentation
KEFI (AIM: KEFI), the gold and copper exploration and development company with projects in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is pleased to announce that KEFI's Executive Chairman, Harry Anagnostaras-Adams, and Chief Operating Officer, Eddy Solbrandt, will be providing a presentation today, Wednesday 31 August 2022, at the Africa Down Under conference being held at the Pan Pacific, Perth, Australia.
The presentation is available on the Company's website at https://www.kefi-goldandcopper.com
Enquiries
KEFI Gold and Copper plc |
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Harry Anagnostaras-Adams (Managing Director) | +357 99457843 |
John Leach (Finance Director) | +357 99208130 |
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker) | +44 (0) 20 3470 0470 |
Jeff Keating, Adam Cowl |
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Tavira Securities Limited (Joint Broker) | +44 (0) 20 7100 5100 |
Oliver Stansfield, Jonathan Evans |
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WH Ireland Limited (Joint Broker) | +44 (0) 20 7220 1666 |
Katy Mitchell, Andrew de Andrade |
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IFC Advisory Ltd (Financial PR and IR) | +44 (0) 20 3934 6630 |
Tim Metcalfe, Florence Chandler |
KEFI Gold and Copper plc
KEFI is focused primarily on the advancement of its three development projects in Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia, plus its pipeline of highly prospective exploration projects in these two large jurisdictions of the under-explored Arabian-Nubian Shield. KEFI targets that production at Tulu Kapi in Ethiopia and Jibal Qutman in Saudi Arabia will, between them, generate cash flows for capital repayments, further organic growth and dividends to shareholders.
Both TKGM and G&M are technically guided and supported by KEFI so that each of these operating joint venture companies as soon as possible builds the local organisational structure suitable for long term production as well as exploration and future development opportunities.
KEFI Gold and Copper in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is currently undergoing a remarkable transformation both politically and economically.
The Tulu Kapi gold project in western Ethiopia is being progressed towards development, following a grant of a Mining Licence in April 2015. No other mining project of this scale in Ethiopia has been brought to Tulu Kapi's stage of advancement during recent years and Tulu Kapi will be the first industrial scale mine development in Ethiopia in over 30 years. It has taken years of extensive technical re-design of the project, years of overhaul by the Ethiopian authorities of financial policies which previously hindered mining project finance and the patient and cautious traversing by the Company of recent well-publicised events within the country. The project has imposed many demands on a regulatory system which the Ethiopian Government continues to upgrade, determined to build a modern minerals sector. KEFI is honored to play its part in this process and has assembled a first-tier syndicate of international industry expert management, contractors, banks and investors.
The Company has now refined contractual terms for project construction and operation. Estimates include open pit gold production of c. 140,000oz pa for a 7-year period. All-in Sustaining Costs (including operating, sustaining capital, royalties and closure but not including leasing and other financing charges) remain c. US$800-1000/oz depending on the gold price. Tulu Kapi's Ore Reserve estimate totals 15.4Mt at 2.1g/t gold, containing 1.1Moz.
All aspects of the Tulu Kapi (open pit) gold project have been reported in compliance with the JORC Code (2012) and subjected to reviews by appropriate independent experts.
A Preliminary Economic Assessment has been published that indicates the economic attractiveness of mining the underground deposit adjacent to the Tulu Kapi open pit, after the start-up of the open pit and after positive cash flows have begun to repay project debts.
KEFI remains keen to re-commence its exploration of the additional prospects it has successfully identified within the Tulu Kapi district exploration area from within which the mining licence was duly excised as a result of the successful discovery of the Tulu Kapi deposit. Whilst most historical drilling was naturally of the Tulu Kapi deposit, there was significant work done on many further prospects which await follow-up.
Whilst awaiting regulatory permission to re-activate the Company's Ethiopian exploration, which is critical for long term planning for all stakeholders in the community as well as the Company, the exploration focus has been successfully switched to Saudi Arabia.
KEFI Gold and Copper in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
In 2009, KEFI formed Gold & Minerals Limited ("G&M") in Saudi Arabia with local Saudi partner, ARTAR, to explore for gold and associated metals in the Arabian-Nubian Shield. KEFI has a c. 30% interest in G&M.
ARTAR, on behalf of G&M, and G&M directly held over 16 Exploration Licence (EL) applications pending the introduction of the new Mining Law. These new regulations have recently been proclaimed and G&M has had seven new licences issued in the past nine months - more licence grants than in the previous 14 years and all highly prospective and strategically important for G&M, ELs are renewable for up to five years and bestow the exclusive right to explore and to obtain a 30-year exploitation (mining) licence within the area.
In addition, G&M has a Mining Licence Application over the Jibal Qutman Gold Project which recent informal indications by the authorities provide some confidence that the licence will be granted shortly.